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Hi everyone,

I've been doing some reading on how to get good grades during 1L in the most efficient way possible. Even with all the threads and outside sources I have consulted, I am having a difficult time understanding how people "marry" their notes they take at home (briefs, book briefs, etc.) with their notes from lecture. Do you use separate documents for home and class notes? Do you combine everything in the same document? Do you not take any notes on your cases at home?

Also, everyone says to start your outlining early. Why not just make your outline during class, building on it during each lecture? Is there a reason people wait until the end of the semester to begin their outlines?

Thanks a lot.

I use OneNote on my laptop and my home computer, and sync the two via Dropbox.

Also, outline whenever you like. I personally felt that outlining later in the semester helped me out because it gave me a review of stuff we learned at the beginning.

There is no one right way to go about taking notes, outlining, etc. Its up to each law student to find what works best for you.

That said, I can tell you what I did last semester (worked well enough):

lawskool wrote: Even with all the threads and outside sources I have consulted, I am having a difficult time understanding how people "marry" their notes they take at home (briefs, book briefs, etc.) with their notes from lecture. Do you use separate documents for home and class notes? Do you combine everything in the same document? Do you not take any notes on your cases at home?

I use OneNote, Microsoft Office's note taking software. I have a tab for each class, and a page for each day. I put my briefs/any notes at the top left, and as we discuss cases in class, I put the important points from discussion to the right of that case's brief. Below, I have the general notes I take during class. That way, everything on one particular topic should be on one OneNote page. Everything is right there for outlining/studying later.

Also, everyone says to start your outlining early. Why not just make your outline during class, building on it during each lecture? Is there a reason people wait until the end of the semester to begin their outlines?

This, too, will be contentious, as some people will have success having started outlining at various points in the semester.

One virtue of outlining is that its great review: you have to go over everything again, making sure you understand it on its own, understanding where it fits into class, making sure you have all the black letter law and policy arguments associated with it, etc. If you outline as you go, rather than at some point later in the semester, you don't really get to go through that process. Sure, I can see someone being able to do that, but not me.

Thanks for the responses. Do either of you know if OneNote is available for Mac? I can't seem to find it.

lawskool wrote:Thanks for the responses. Do either of you know if OneNote is available for Mac? I can't seem to find it.

Not available with out something like bootcamp. there is a thread about it in the forum of law school students.
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=145864

eidt: added link.

JusticeHarlan wrote:I use OneNote, Microsoft Office's note taking software. I have a tab for each class, and a page for each day. I put my briefs/any notes at the top left, and as we discuss cases in class, I put the important points from discussion to the right of that case's brief. Below, I have the general notes I take during class. That way, everything on one particular topic should be on one OneNote page. Everything is right there for outlining/studying later.

I use it in a similar manner, but I have one notebook for each class, and then I do topic tabs, with a new page for each subsections.

So for Contracts, I have a tab for the UCC, then subsections addressing each particular section of the UCC that we talk about in class.

I find that works better for me than organized by day, because we might go back to something 5 days later.

lawskool wrote:Thanks for the responses. Do either of you know if OneNote is available for Mac? I can't seem to find it.

Either use Bootcamp and boot Office, which has it, or they make a program for Mac called Circus Ponies, which is similar.

or use Evernote

This semester, for most classes, I just have one document. Each case gets a little three part table with one sentence of facts, the issue, and then the holding/rule.

Class notes go underneath the case they relate to.

Everything in one place, in order. Then I can just edit the shit out of it to make a true outline later.